Slytherin Adoption

Trust

         “What do you mean my father went insane?!” Sal jumped to his feet, a wild look in his eyes. Harry's whimper drew everyone's attention. The young Slytherin was curled in his chair, holding his head protectively. Draco looked at his Godfather, unsure of what he should do. Severus gave a slight nod towards the door and Draco went to Harry’s side.

    “Come on, Harry,” he said softly, gently taking his friend’s hand and pulling him to his feet. “Let’s go back to the common room.” Harry slowly stood up and followed silently. When they were gone, Severus looked at Sal, who was completely confused by what had just happened. Before the Potions Master could open his mouth, a knock came at the door. Severus motioned for Sal to stay quiet as he walked towards the door. Waving his wand, he was able to transform the door into a one-way mirror for a few minutes. Seeing it was only Lucius Malfoy, he cancelled the charm and opened the door, pulling the surprised blonde in and quickly shutting and warding the door.

    “I saw Draco and Harry in the hall. Harry was crying but he wouldn’t tell me…” Lucius’s voice trailed off as he finally noticed they weren’t alone. He turned back to Severus with a raised eyebrow. The Potions Master sighed as he crossed the room to his liquor cabinet, pulling out a bottle of fire whiskey and pouring it into three goblets. He passed them out, sighing when Lucius refused, and then returned to the armchair he’d been sitting in earlier, Sal doing the same, before looking up at the blonde.

    “You might want to sit for this Lucius.” Lucius shook his head, eyes determined as he turned to look at the young man sitting in Severus's quarters. There was no way he was going to sit until he knew exactly what was going on. The two seemed to be having a staring contest, Lucius’s eyes hard and Sal’s eyes confused, until a cough from Severus had both men jumping and turning to look at him. Severus just smirked slightly before turning serious.

         “Lucius, this is Salazar,” the Professor said quietly, eyes locked on the blonde’s. “Salazar Riddle.” Lucius slowly sank down into the armchair and looked from Severus, to Sal, and back to Severus.

         “I...I think I'll take that drink now.”

         Albus Dumbledore stormed through the halls of Hogwarts, making students jump out of his way at the look of anger in the Headmaster's eyes. No one had ever seen the man angry or even upset and it was quite frightening.

         Harry was walking to breakfast with Blaise and Theo as Draco was talking to Severus and his father about something. When the Headmaster stopped them, Harry shrank back at the look of rage hidden in the depths of the icy blue eyes.

         “Harry, my boy…” Dumbledore paused as his eyes scanned the three of them before locking on Harry's. “Please see me in my office after breakfast.” Without waiting for a response, Dumbledore swept into the Great Hall. Blaise and Theo looked at each other with raised eyebrows before turning to Harry. The small Slytherin was shaking but before they could say or do anything, Draco came up to them.

         “Hey guys!” He was a little breathless from his run from the dungeons and he bent over, hands on his knees, as he panted. After a few moments, he straightened back up and took in the sight of Harry, tears in his eyes and shaking. He wasn't sure what happened but he silently cursed Sal. Harry had been doing so much better and now, after meeting Sal and the events after, they were back to square one. “What happened?” he asked Blaise as he looked at Harry, feeling helpless. He wasn't sure how to help and that killed him more than anything. Suddenly, an image of the first day he met Harry came to mind. He hadn't known how to help then, either, but he'd followed his instincts and it had worked. Hoping it would work again, he slowly approached Harry. The other boy's eyes were unfocused, as though he was trapped in a memory. Draco stopped a few feet away, not wanting to touch Harry as he was afraid that he would panic.

         “Harry, you're safe,” Draco said softly, repeating what he had said that day on the train. “It's okay, Harry. You're safe. No one is going to hurt you. It's safe. You're safe.” Harry's eyes slowly focused on the blonde.

         “D...Draco?” he whispered. Draco nodded and Harry threw his arms around Draco’s neck, his small body trembling. Draco hugged him back as he looked at the other two.

         “What happened?” he asked again. Blaise and Theo glanced at each other.

         “Dumbledore stopped us,” Blaise replied. “He told Harry he wanted to see him after breakfast.” Both boys looked confused. They obviously had no idea why it would upset Harry. Draco nodded and told them to go on ahead. Theo immediately left. Blaise stared at them for another moment before following Theo.

         “He reminded me of my uncle,” a small voice said, startling Draco. He looked down at Harry.

         “Who reminded you of your uncle?” Harry took a shaky breath.

         “Dumbledore. He was so angry.” Draco gently wiped Harry's tears.

         “Let's eat breakfast,” he suggested. “And then we'll go see Dumbledore.”

         “Together?” Draco nodded and the two boy's headed to the Great Hall.

         An hour later, Harry and Draco were sitting in the Headmaster’s office as the old man paced. Finally, he turned to face them, a smile pasted on his face as he say behind his desk and folded his hands.

         “Harry, I know you were in the hidden part of the dungeons last night,” he began quietly. “I need you to tell me who you were with.” Harry out his hands on his lap to hide the fact they were shaking and just shook his head, eyes glued to the floor. “ Harry, look at me.” Harry slowly lifted his head and as soon as their eyes met, Harry was assaulted by images. It only lasted a few seconds before Harry's hand was grabbed, causing him to lose eye contact as he looked at Draco. The blonde was glaring at Dumbledore.

         “It is illegal to enter the mind of anyone without their consent,” he hissed. He turned to Harry and his eyes softened. “Come on, Harry, let's go.” He pulled Harry to his feet and out the door, ignoring the man's protests. There were no classes, as it was Sunday, so Draco led Harry to Severus’s quarters, where he proceeded to bang on the door. The door was opened and before Severus could open his mouth, Harry jumped in his arms. Severus froze for a moment, shocked, as Harry clung to him. Harry usually didn't initiate contact, especially with the Potions Professor. Slowly, Severus wrapped the boy in a hug, his eyes confused as he looked at Draco.

         “Dumbledore called him to his office,” the Malfoy heir explained. “He said he knew Harry was in the hidden dungeons last night. He wanted to know who he was with. Harry wouldn't tell him so he used leglimency on him.” Harry stepped back.

         “What's le...leg...leg…” Severus pulled both boys into his rooms and shut the door.

         “Leglimency is when someone is able to look in your mind and see your memories.” Harry was silent for a long moment. Finally, he took a deep breath and looked directly at Severus.

         “D...do you s...still want to a...adopt me?” The stutter showed just how nervous Harry was and they could see how terrified he was of being rejected. Severus knelt so he was eye level with Harry and took both his hands in his own, much larger ones.

         “Harry, I would be honored to adopt you, if that is what you truly want.” Harry nodded, looking determined.

         “I need s...someone I can t...trust to help me with all t...this.” His stutter was starting to go away, which Harry was grateful for. Severus gently squeezed his hands.

         “You can trust me, Harry. I promise.”

    Author's Note:

Please tell me what you think!